


Gotham City Garage (Part 3)

by SteveM



Series: Multiverse Madness [6]
Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), Gotham City Garage (Comics), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:34:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27191797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveM/pseuds/SteveM
Summary: With Kate having successfully escaped from the Garden the riders of the Gotham City Garage need to decide whether or not to trust her and, if so, where the data she brought with her may lead them...
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kate Kane, Kara Danvers & Kate Kane, Kara Danvers/Kate Kane
Series: Multiverse Madness [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931842
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Kate wasn’t entirely sure what she’d expected the Gotham City Garage to look like but the broken down shell of an old-world fire station hadn’t been it. The rusty roller door somehow still worked and Kara pulled her bike to a halt in the dusty space beyond. Diana following suit but spinning her bike around with one foot planted on the broken concrete so she was facing outwards, always ready for the next attack.

“So this is… nice…” Kate said as she slid off the saddle and looked around.

“It’s not the garage sweetheart.” 

The voice came from the shadows and all three of them turned to see Alex Danvers walk out to greet them. The dusk light washing through the grimy windows lent her facial scar a menacing air though not as much as the pistol held casually in her right hand.

“Alex…” Kara stepped in front of Kate, shielding her sister. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Yet. Which is kinda the point.” This time the voice was from a small balcony that circled the workshop and a quick glance up revealed Sara Lance resting a rifle on the handrail. “You’ve got a choice to make little bat. Walk away… or let us dismantle those ridealongs in your head right now. They can still be tracking them.”

“Suit too.” Kara wasn’t even surprised this time as Frost slid from her position just beside the roller door with a shotgun very definitely pointed at Kate. “That can be tracked.”

Kara went to say something but Kate put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay Kara.” She whispered gently before raising her voice to address the three armed women suddenly holding her life in their hands.

“Do whatever you need to do. I’m done with the Garden and going back there now is a death sentence. Whatever risk there is in disabling these…” She tapped the back of her head with one armoured gauntlet, the faintest metal clink echoing through the building as she nudged the metal implants in her skull. “… it’s a better chance than I’d have back there. Suit too but before you do I need to get something out of it.”

“Ohhhh no.” Alex said, moving forward but making sure to stay out of the line of fire. “No offence princess but you could have anything in there.”

“You’re thinking bomb I take it?” Kate said as she ran an appraising eye over the battle-scared warrior facing her. “It’s not. Before I left I spent a little time in the archives. Pulled everything I could think of that might be useful including a copy of Batman’s personal data files. It’s on an isolated data storage unit in my left thigh holster. It’s what tipped Bruce off I was trying to leave, I’d hate for it to get damaged now.”

“I can get it?” Kara asked but Alex shook her head.

“No offence kid but while you’re part of the sisterhood this is your *actual* sister. You’d be amazed what blindspots we have towards family. I’ll do it.”

“And if it’s a bomb?” Sara asked carefully, tightening her grip on the rifle.

“Boom.” Alex said with something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You can wait outside…”

“Thanks, no.” Sara replied. “Just be careful.”

Alex grunted an acknowledgement and to Kate’s surprise knelt by her side. The surprise faded as Kate realised that approach made damn sure her head wasn’t going to be accidentally obscured by Alex’s movements. 

“Kara, hold her arms above her head.” Alex instructed and the blonde reluctantly obeyed. “Put your fingers between hers, make sure she can’t move them.”

“Isn’t this a bit too far?” Kara asked though she did it anyway.

“No. She’s a Bat and they’re not to be trusted.” Alex said reaching out and carefully running her fingertips over the odd flexible body armour checking for any obvious traps. “What’s the command sequence?”

“Three fingers in the centre, two taps, two fingers top front, three taps.” Kate said promptly. Alex did as she was told and the hidden compartment opened up to present the small data stick. Alex gently pulled it out and quickly checked it over.

“Looks intact. Anything we need to know about it?”

“No. No encryption. But I’d use a standalone terminal just in case.” Kate said. She glanced down and found herself unexpectedly distracted at the handsome redhead kneeling in front of her. Having her body held so tightly she might as well have been bound wasn’t helping the situation and despite the scar Alex Danvers was still undeniably beautiful. 

“Umm… can I let her go now?” Kara asked from behind her sister.

“Not quite yet.” Alex said, rocking back to sit on her heels and look Kate up and down.

“Umm, why? What have you still got to check?”

“Mostly that I’m remembering the view properly, she looks good enough to eat from this angle!”

“Down girl.” Frost said quietly but she couldn’t quite hide the chuckle at the mix of expressions on the three women in front of her. Alex was blatantly leering at the trapped Kate who, in turn, looked shocked but not entirely unhappy with the compliment. Kara, on the other hand, just looked squicked and quickly let Kate go. To Kara’s surprise Kate kept her hands up in the air and brought her wrists together as if they were tied together and attached to an invisible rope from the ceiling.

“Take your time.” Kate said casually trying to hide her surprise at how natural this felt. 

“As entertaining as this is can you put a pin in it?” Sara asked from overhead. “We need to get started if Lena’s going to disable everything by daybreak.”

“You’re no fun.” Alex grumbled but she got to her feet and eased Kate’s arms down. “Do me a favour princess? Survive the night so we can pick this up later?”

“I’ll certainly try.” Kate said dryly but she felt her heart skip a beat. 

“In that case, come with me. Lena’s set up in the only room in this dump that we can light without announcing our presence to the entire Freescape.” Kara went to follow them but Alex placed a gently hand on her shoulder. “Sorry Kara, there really isn’t enough space in there for more than Lena, this one and a guard.”

“I could…”

“No you couldn’t. Besides I think you’ve got someone else to talk to.” Alex nodded towards Diana who’d taken up a watching brief over the situation from a point that would allow her to reach everyone in just a few strides. 

“Oh… oh right. Uh, is there anywhere private here?”

“Try over there.” Alex pointed to a dirty metal door. “It leads up to the tower. Just don’t light anything up there, okay?”

“We won’t.” Kara promised. “Uh, Diana…”

“I heard child.” Diana said not unkindly. “And your companion is correct, we have much to talk about.”


	2. Chapter 2

The tower tuned out to be a simple enough concrete construction with multiple floors, a concrete staircase running up the back and large open spaces on three out of four sides on every level. Diana took them to the highest point and sat on the edge, her back pressed to the hard, rough surface as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Kara swallowed and mirrored the position on the other side of the ‘window’. 

“So, umm… well…. The thing is…”

“You’re a Kryptonian.” Diana said and laughed at the surprise on Kara’s face. “That’s what you were going to ask me right, if I knew?”

“Umm, yes?”

“I think I do. A Kryptonian.”

“I… don’t know what that means.” Kara said in a very small voice.

“Neither do I.” Diana said with a sympathetic smile.

“Okay now I’m really confused.” Kara replied and Diana nodded in agreement.

“I don’t blame you. I’m not an oracle Kara, I have no power to see the truths that lie hidden from us. But…” She paused and turned slightly to look out over the rolling desert of the Freescape, trying to put into words the explanation she knew this young woman so desperately needed.

“There’s a reason I ride alone. I am different. I am an Amazon of Themyscira and have lived many lifetimes. I can take everything Luthor and his minions can give. Most… cannot.” 

She glanced at Kara and a smile played on her striking face. “But you… my people had legends about yours.”

“Two weeks ago I thought my people were Kate and my dad…” Kara said quietly, her arms wrapped around her knees.

“They may well have been Kara. Each person must decide their own family. Who they love, who they will protect… their purpose in life. The facts of your birth may guide your destiny but only you decide it.”

“I… I think I know that. But I’m… well, I’m scared Diana. This is all so… so big.”

“I know. I felt the same way, once.” Diana said softly. “Many years ago and in a very different world.”

“How did you stop feeling… that way?”

“The fear never stops.” Diana said and Kara’s eyes went wide. “Hmm, yes I thought I saw… you’ve realised it too haven’t you? In that moment facing the Batman?”

“Yes.” Kara whispered. “Fear… fear can’t be avoided but it can be controlled. Forge us into something else.”

“For me it was strength.” Diana said. “For you… “

“Hope.” Kara said with tears in her eyes. “Hope for something better than this. For everyone.”

“That, child, is a better answer than mine.” Diana said warmly. They sat in silence for a moment until Kara plucked up her courage.

“What do you know about Kryptonians?”

Diana sent a sharp look at the young blonde but was reassured to see the same nervous dread on her face. Eagerness would have been a problem…

“They were a race that travelled the stars while we were still learning to navigate the oceans. They found our planet but mostly left it alone. One or two came here in secret to study us and once, centuries ago, one came to help us. We’re not sure now who or what the threat was, only that it too came from beyond this world. It caused devastation in the world of man until the Amazons and Atlantans faced it in force. Even then it was too strong, too powerful and our armies broke before it.”

“Then, at the end, the Kryptonian arrived. The legends say they fell from the sky in a fireball but I suspect that was their ship entering the atmosphere. On our world they had power beyond imagining and alone she did what we could not. Fought the abomination back, trapped it and removed it from our world. She did not stay but the legend was preserved and told to Amazonian children across the years to ensure she would be remembered. The only physical remembrance was a simple stone carving, preserved in our halls alongside the images of our most noble warriors.”

“What was it? The carving, I mean?” Kara asked, clearly fascinated.

Diana paused then chuckled. “You tell me young one, you wear it on your back.”

Kara stared in shock then slowly slid her jacket from her arms and turned it around, The yellow and red stylised S on its diamond shield stared back at her. 

“I cannot tell you with any great certainty what you can and can’t do, Kara Kane. The legends are, well, legends. They make a very poor guide to the truth. All I can tell you is to trust those powers. They are a part of you and will come when you call. And…” Diana paused, considering whether or not to place another burden on the young girl sitting next to her. Part of her wished she could avoid it, give her a more normal life. But she knew the truth had to be told, to do otherwise would be to betray the trust Kara had placed in her by even asking about her heritage.

“And when you wish it I am not sure there is a power on Earth that can stop you.” Diana said. 

Kara’s eyes went wide and she turned fully away from Diana, her legs dangling over the edge of the tower as she stared out at the desert. Diana gave her a few minutes but when the silence continued decided the best thing she could do was to give Kara her privacy. She slid silently to her feet and was just about to leave when Kara’s voice pierced the darkness that had settled on the Freescape.

“You said we decide our destiny. What’s yours?”

Diana froze, shocked by the insight in such a simple question. Was it just luck….

“I… I haven’t know that for years.” Diana said quietly.

“Then do you mind a piece of advice?” Kara asked, still with her back turned. “You should think about staying. Just for a while. This place, these people… they have a way of helping you find a purpose.”

Diana smiled and nodded. “You may be right about that, Kara Kane.”


	3. Chapter 3

“This is going to suck isn’t it?” Kate asked as Alex guided her into what looked like a nightmare blend of hospital and workshop.

“Probably.” Alex said with a shrug. “You’ve met Lena?”

“Yeah…” Kate found her mouth had suddenly gone dry as she saw the raven-haired genius waiting for her, perched in the middle of a mass of equipment like a spider in her web. In front of her a basic field bed had been set up and at one end a thick pillow sculpted to fit around a neck with two gleaming metal contact points glistening in the odd light.

“So you made it out.” Lena said casually, busying herself with a computer terminal.

“Yes. Thank you.” Kate said nervously as Lena beckoned her down to the bed.

“For what?”

“For… opening my eyes.”

“Oh I’m going to do a lot more than that…” Lena said with a smile that worried Kate more than anything she’d seen in the last couple of days. “Lie back, make sure the contacts are touching your ridealongs.”

“Okay… is that OWW!” As she found the right position a burst of power shot through Kate via the ridealongs.

“It might sting a bit.” Lena said in a distracted tone as she started to scan through the data that was already feeding back through the system.

“A bit?” Kate said, her temper rising. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked round to see Alex standing alongside her though whether the contact was supposed to be reassuring or just restrain her Kate wasn’t sure.

“Compared to what comes next, anyway.” Lena said. “You’ve done a pretty good job frying the control circuits but the deep logic is still working. We’ll have to calibrate first then short the whole lot out in one go.”

“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” Kate asked flatly.

“Yes. A lot.” Lena said matter-of-factly. “But it’s the only way, especially when someone’s had ridealongs in their head as long as you have.”

“Alright. Do it.” Kate said as she tried to collect herself. 

“You’re going to feel some uncontrolled emotions.” Lena warned. “Let them come if you can, it’ll be easier. Also the ridealong is going to make sure your head stays where it should be so don’t worry if you can’t lift yourself up.”

Kate went to reply when she suddenly found herself overwhelmed with sadness. Bone-deep it was as if everything she’d ever cared about had been taken from her and instantly she felt her tears fall. Her body heaved with sobs and to her surprise she found Alex reaching down to hold her hand. The touch just seemed to reinforce how alone Kate was and the tears and sobbing increased.

“Now… joy.” Lena’s voice seemed a long way off and the despair around Kate suddenly burst into blinding happiness. The air felt crisp and clean, the dim light a paradise compared to the red glow she’s always known, the whole world seemed like it was shinning in Kate’s eyes. She suddenly realised that Alex still had one hand on her shoulder and the other wrapped over Kate’s hand and Kate would have happily stayed like that forever. It just felt so right, so good… so very very good.

“Tell the truth.” Lena ordered and once more Kate’s mind seemed to shift immediately to comply. She searched for the nearest thing to latch on to in order to answer the question and found herself staring up at Alex.

“You’re beautiful.” Kate said immediately before managing to turn enough to look at Lena while her neck stayed planted on the pillow. “And so are you. Both of you. I… I want to…”

A key rattled and Lena almost laughed at the confused look on Kate’s face. “Lie.” Lena said simply.

“Lex loves you.”

“Well you’re not wrong there.” Lena admitted. “That’s the biggest lie in the world. Now one last thing…” Her fingers tapped the keys again and Kate felt the world around her turn pink and urgent.

Her pulse quickened and with a lightning fast moved she snagged Alex’s wrist and pulled the startled woman down on top of her. Her lips sought out their target and before Alex had time to react beyond a startled cry Kate was kissing her hungrily. Her legs twisted and wrapped around Alex’s waist, holding her as close as she could get her.

“LENMMAMMMMPPPhhhhhhh!” Alex cried in what was, technically, alarm but to Lena’s experienced ear it sounded a lot more like excitement.

“Sexual desire is always such a tricky one to do…” Lena mused as Kate kept on trying to wear out Alex’s face. “… never know how someone’s going to react.”

“Lena!” Alex called out urgently in a stolen moment as she managed to break away from Kate’s embrace. 

“Just a minute.” Lena said calmly as she studied her screen, ignoring the moans coming from Kate and, she couldn’t help but notice, Alex as well. “Her sex drive is surprisingly high for a Garden-born…”

“I noticed!” 

“You’re complaining?” Lena said with a smirk. “I’m going to leave her like this while I zap the ridealongs. It’ll help keep her distracted.”

“Hey! I’m…. Ohhhhhh goooo…. I’m kinda attached to her here!”

“And you rather enjoy pain so what’s the problem? Besides it’ll just be a little jolt, nothing for a big tough warrior like you.”

“Lena!”

“Just a minute…”

“Not gggggg…. Not quick enough….” Alex grunted and moaned the words causing Lena to glance up and stifle a laugh. Kate had one hand working between Alex’s legs and clearly knew what she was doing, something Kara had failed to mention. Alex was rapidly becoming a panting mess and clearly hoping Lena was going to save her, maybe by frying Kate’s brain. 

“And you’re not even returning the favour.” Lena scolded before putting her chin on the edge of the bed to whisper in Kate’s ears. “Don’t worry little Bat, I’m much, much nicer than my friend here.”

“Lena what are you doing…?” Alex asked then cried out as Kate’s questing fingers found her waistband and slipped underneath to brush naked skin. A moment later two of those fingers slid into Alex Danvers and started pressing all her buttons as if they’d been lovers for years.

“This.” Lena stabbed a button and Kate’s body arched and writhed as electricity shot through her ridealongs. The pain filled her up but unexpectedly, and with nothing more than Alex’s thigh to help her along, her body matched the pain with pleasure. An orgasm burst over her out of nowhere and as the power arched through her it flowed down her arm, along her fingers and into the primed body of Alex Danvers. It was far, far too much and the older woman convulsed with her own pleasure, their cries mingling in the enclosed space and leaving no room for pain.

After a minute or two Lena backed everything off, double checked the readings then let them both settle back down. Alex went to roll off the bed, thought better of it and slipped her arms around Kate as the younger woman came back to Earth.

“Wow… what was that?”

“That was what the ridealongs can do to you.” Lena said as if was the most natural thing in the world. “Though it helps having someone as attractive as Alex to focus on.”

“Did… did it work?” Kate asked still a little breathless.

“Considering the language Alex was using yes, it did.”

“Not that!” Kate said, her face burning with embarrassment. “The ridealongs!”

“Oh Yes yes, they’re disabled. And have been since you laid down.”

“WHAT!”

“That first jolt fried all the send/receive circuits beyond repair. Until we can get suitable surgical facilities that’s the best we can do.”

“So why do… all that!”

“I needed to check you were responding as you should, that we hadn’t… broken you.”

“And why bring me into this?” Alex asked but she didn’t seem as annoyed as she might have been.

“Oh that was just fun.” Lena said waving her hand. 

“And the shock?” Kate asked, still angry about the deception.

Lena looked her straight in the eyes before replying. “Do you remember torturing me for information in the Garden?”

“Yes.” Kate said quietly.

“Well now we’re even.”

Kate paused then reached out to slide her hand under Lena’s. “No, we’re not. Thank you.”

Lena couldn’t hide her surprise or the blush that lit her pale cheeks. Alex noticed and laughed. “And neither are we by the way.”

“I was nice to you…” Lena pointed out but her whole attitude had changed. The usual confident, aloof figure was gone to be replaced by a shy and awkward woman. 

“I know. And to our new Bat. We should really thank you for that…” 

Kate wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her though she did later wonder if the ridiculously turned on state she’d been placed in had entirely worn off. She sat up, reached over to Lena and pulled her onto the bed. She guided her lips to Lena’s while her other hand snagged Alex’s hair and led her in as well. A moment later the three found themselves sharing an awkward kiss that made up for in novelty what it was maybe missing in experience. 

“We need to get you out of that suit.” Lena said, panting slightly as they all pulled back after a very busy couple of minutes.

“Fine by me.” Kate said with a smile.

“No, I mean to disable the tracking.”

“Oh.”

“Besides my place at the Garage has a lot more room…” Lena said hopefully and to her delight saw both Alex and Kate nod agreement.

“Well get to work then, quicker you’re done the quicker we can ride for home.” Alex said with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

As dawn broke Kara wasn’t pacing by her bike but only because Sara had come to find her in the middle of the night and tell her Kate was fine. She also did Kara the favour of a heads-up that something had obviously happened between Kate, Alex and Lena even if she didn’t know the details so Kara was ready when she saw the slightly-too-bouncy step of her sister as she headed over from the depths of the building. 

“How are you feeling?” Kara asked and had to smother a laugh as Kate nodded eagerly and said “Great!” 

Realising what she’d done Kate tried to cover with: “I mean, great considering I just had my brain fried.”

“No other reason?” Kara said innocently. 

“I… “ Kate’s eyes narrowed and she took a second look at the expression on Kara’s face. “No secrets in the Freescape, huh?”

“Oh plenty.” Kara said reaching out and pulling Kate into a hug. “Sara just let me know enough that I didn’t ask awkward questions.”

“That’s… actually pretty considerate.” Kate allowed, relaxing into her sister’s embrace. “Uh, is it just me or are you… warmer than usual?”

“I’m still figuring it out but I think I’m solar powered.” Kara said. “Guess it shows in other ways than…”

“Than giant laser beams from your eyes?”

“Well… yeah, basically.”

“We’ve got a lot to catch up on haven’t we?”

“It’s been an interesting few weeks, yes.” Kara laughed. “But it’ll have to wait until we’re back at the GCG. If I start now I’m never gonna stop!”

“Fair.” Kate allowed, reluctantly letting go and looking around the small garage. “So… do I get my own bike or….”

“Patience young blood.” Frost said, entering from one of the old offices where she’d spent the night. “We’ve got a long way to ride today and this isn’t the time to start learning.”

“Want to ride with me?” Kara asked and Kate looked at the big bike next to her slim sister with the matching stylised S proudly emblazoned on the front. 

“You passed your test?” Kate said with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, I rode in a raid against a rival gang and came back alive. Does that count?”

“Did you come back with the bike?”

“Umm…. Not as such, no.”

“Then no, it doesn’t. But I’ll trust you anyway.” Kate laughed and gestured down at the dusty t-shirt, jeans and jacket Kara had scrounged for her to replace the batsuit. “Besides I might need a space heater if we’re still on the road when the sun goes down.”

“Practical way of thinking. You might just fit in around here.” Sara Lance said as she walked into the garage carrying a large packing case. “I’ll take the ‘suit for you Kate. Once Lena’s had the chance to really get into its programming to make sure there’s nothing dangerous we’ll try to get it back into working shape for you.”

“What did you find?” Kara asked, curiously, as she swung her leg over her bike and thumbed the starter.

“About a dozen different ways of tracking the damn thing.” Sara said grimly. “But Lena turned them all off and the case will block any signal it tries to send. Lena’s lab back at GCG has a null field around it so she’ll be able to work on it safely.”

“Wonder why they didn’t use them in the Garden…” Kate said quietly, staring at the crate. “If they did I’d have set off an alarm going to the archives.”

“In the Garden it relied on the usual Gardner tech.” Lena said having heard the question as she quietly made her way to her own bike. It still startled Kara how someone with such a powerful presence just blended in to the background so often, as if the last thing in the world Lena wanted was to be noticed by anyone. “The rest is designed to run in ultra low power mode, send out ‘come find me’ pulses every few minutes for as long as possible. They’d either be tripped by the wearer if they were in trouble or by a controller if the wearer was reported missing. As you three left Bruce lying in the sand I’m assuming they didn’t have time to be alerted before you got here and I could deactivate it.”

“That had to have been cutting it close…” Kate mused then shook her head as Alex walked in and completed the party. Diana, much as she had last night, had chosen to stay leaning against the wall until everyone was ready. “Uh, just before we go… thank you. All of you. I know how much you risked and…. Well, thank you isn’t enough but it’s all I’ve got right now. You’ve literally got the clothes from my back after all.”

Sara looked around and caught the small signs of agreement from everyone else. “Repay us by joining the fight against the Garden. Help us bring down Lex and make this a free world once again.”

“Deal.” Kate said firmly, swinging herself up behind Kara as the roller doors ground upwards.

The world shifted again as Oliver, Kara and Kate saw the desert blur beneath them and the imposing structure of the Gotham City Garage seemed to slide into view. The small convoy pulled in amidst a cloud of dust and they caught flashes of introductions and tours, of long stories told over odd food and drink and of Lena Luthor working through the treasure trove of data Kate had recovered from her raid on the archives. When it all settled down again they found themselves on a gantry overlooking a large projection table in Lena’s lab, the data stick glowing faintly on top of it and several files open and ready as Lena gathered her thoughts in front of the assembled group.

“Please tell me there was something worthwhile?” Kate asked from what had quickly become her customary position at Kara’s side.

“Yes and no.” Lena said with a shrug. “There’s a huge amount of data here, far too much to sift through in a few days. You seemed to have a pretty good instinct for what was worth taking though, most of the dates you pulled match events I’ve been studying ever since I left the Garden.”

“Oh. Umm… good?” Kate said, clearly disappointed. 

“Very good.” Sara replied from a position just to Lena’s left. “But actually not that important right now as there’s two records in the Batman files that caught Lena’s attention. Isn’t that right L?” She prompted with a glare. 

“I was just getting to that.” Lena said with a defensive air. Still she did send a slightly guilty look at Kate which the newest addition to the GCG was coming to realise might be as close to an apology as she’d ever get from Lena Luthor. “Yes, these two records send up every red flag in the metaphorical book.”

She threw two virtual files onto the table and tapped each of them so their contents floated at eye level. “Technically they’re no different to any of the other classified files… except they’ve been altered.”

“What? That doesn’t make sense…” Kate frowned at the sudden and unexpected puzzle. “Bruce kept this as a reference library, why would he alter any of it?”

“Because the real records are hidden under an additional decryption layer.” Lena said with a smug tone. “Unfortunately the key seems to be the Bat’s own biometric data so without his hand, eye and voice I can’t break it.”

“So it’s useless?” Kara asked, sliding an arm around her sister in a sympathetic hug.

“Quite the opposite.” Lena replied. “We might not know what happened but we know where and when. That part of the file is still original presumably to help maintain the illusion it hasn’t been altered.”

“One was at this facility in the north.” Sara said, taking over the briefing. “Officially it’s an R&D lab into new energy sources. Unofficially we’re pretty sure it’s where Lex does most of his human experimentation. The Bat went there almost fifteen years ago to help put down a disturbance of some sort. And here’s the really interesting part… he wasn’t seen for almost a month afterwards.”

“What? I didn’t think there was a night he wasn’t on the streets.” Kate said and it was clear she wasn’t joking.

“They hid it pretty well. Used the Bat Signal, cover with Gardners and alter memories so people think they’ve seen him. But his own files are blank for thirty days after this event, something we can’t find again *anywhere* in this record.”

“Woah… something took him out of action that long?” Frost asked, stunned. “Did they set off a nuke or something?”

“The building’s still standing so doesn’t seem likely. Either way it’s worth checking out.” Sara said. Which leads me to what’s behind door number 2…”

The second file flickered and a building schematic jumped up to rotate between them. It was of a large underground structure and while the detail was minimal the walls were so thick it looked like it could withstand Armageddon if need be.

“This is Cadmus.” Sara said and there were intakes of breath from the more experienced riders in the room. “Yes, it exists and now we know where it is.”

“Uh, question?” Kara said, her hand in the air.

“Sorry, forgot we have a mixed audience these days.” Sara said with a small smile. “Cadmus was an experimental technology centre designed to take risks and create the future. It existed before the world burned but when the Garden was born there were always rumours it had survived and moved underground somewhere close by. Turns out that was more literal than expected.”

She tapped a control and the schematic blended into a map of the Freescape showing the facility a two hour journey from the southern edge of the dome. “Once again we don’t know what the incident was but it does tie in perfectly with the Garden Blackout five years ago.”

“I’m hearing we don’t know much at all.” Alex said gruffly. “How do we fix that?”

“Glad you asked.” Sara said and the map moved out to show both sites. “Two teams. I’ll take Alex, Kate and Frost to the northern facility. Diana, if you’re willing would you take Kara and Lena to the south?”

“It would be an honour.” The warrior woman said from her position towards the back of the room. 

“What are those?” Frost asked, pointing at two lines linking both sites to the Garden.

“Those are the problem. Well, one of the problems.” Sara corrected herself. “They seem to be transport tunnels. Some sort of magnetic system. Gardeners could be sent as reinforcements in thirty minutes to the north, an hour to the south. Which doesn’t give us much time.”

“Ah, I assume you’re planning for us to attack first then?” Diana said, moving through the onlookers to study the map more closely.

“Yes, that’s why I’ve put you and Kara on the same team. You can probably take whatever they throw at you and keep Lena safe while she does her thing. We’ll give you about 45 minutes then attack the north. With a bit of luck it’ll stretch their forces and make them second-guess themselves.”

“Of course if Bruce figures it out you could arrive to find they’ve reinforced the northern facility before you can get there…” Felicity pointed out with quiet anger though whether at the potential danger or being left on the sidelines Sara wasn’t entirely sure.

“I know but it’s unlikely.” Sara said with more confidence than she felt. “Besides which Cadmus is the bigger target, they can’t afford to leave it open if they know it’s under attack no matter how much of a hunch the Bat has.”

“Well I’m reassured…” Alex said sarcastically.

“At least we’re not being the distraction.” Frost pointed out. “Though, and don’t take this wrong way, why are we bringing the new blood along?”

Sara winced but to her surprise she saw Kate take the question with calm grace. “Actually that’s a fair point.” Kate said quietly. “If you want me there I’ll go, of course, but it seems like a big risk you don’t need to take?”

“Because it’s been several years since we had any direct link to what’s going on inside the Garden.” Sara said looking Kate straight in the eyes. “If that lab is conducting human experiments you’re the one most likely to be able to put together the pieces and figure out what we need to look at. Plus we’ve only got one Lena and someone’s going to need to work the tech which from what Kara tells me was pretty much your life back in the Garden. It’s not like we’re going to have a lot of time on this one…”

“Hmm… okay.” Kate said but something in her voice seemed a little off to Sara. “You’re willing to trust me with a weapon?”

“Actually yes.” Sara said with a shrug. “It’s possible you could be part of some elaborate plan but with everything that’s happened I don’t think you could be a willing part of it, not anymore.”

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. We’ll ride at dusk for these safe havens.” Sara tapped a control and two points appeared on the map. “They’ll give us some shelter and a place to rest within an hour’s ride of our targets. Lay low during the day and first strike starts at midnight.”

There was a moment of silence as Sara waited for any objections. When none came the meeting started to break up, every woman heading for their own equipment to prepare for what lay ahead. Sara made for the door then noticed Kate hanging back. Taking the hint the assassin did the same and waited until they were alone.

“Problem?” Sara asked, fighting the urge to place her hand on a weapon.

“Not sure yet.” Kate said carefully. “Why did you lie about the reason for me being on the mission?”

For a brief moment Sara thought about denying it but a quick look at Kate’s expression convinced her otherwise. “You sure you want me to answer that?”

“Yes.”

Sara sighed. “It’s…. Well, it’s about Kara. Lena thinks this might be the place your father found her.”

“What?!?” Kate snapped, forcing herself not to leap across the room, grab Sara by her collar and demand answers.

“She’s not sure. Which for Lena is saying something. But something put the Bat on the shelf for a month but left the facility standing. Frankly there’s only one thing we’ve seen from the Garden in all that time which fits the bill.”

Kate took a deep breath then closed the gap between them and spoke in a quiet growl. “First, never call my sister a ‘thing’ again. Second, that still doesn’t explain why you want me on the team.”

“Actually it does.” Sara said, fighting back her instinctive desire to throw Kate across the room for being so aggressively inside her personal space. “I wasn’t lying, you’re likely to spot things we’ll miss. Plus if we do find anything that links to Kara, well, I thought it best that one of you be there to see it.”

“Why not her?”

“It’s not a trust thing if that’s what you’re thinking.” Sara said calmly. “Quite the opposite. If Cadmus is everything the stories make it out to be Kara might be the key to getting in and out alive. I’m trusting her to make sure that mission works out and everyone comes back alive. Diana’s incredible and is used to command but even she’s not unstoppable. Your sister…. Well, I wonder….”

Kate suddenly looked nervous and Sara realised that things had moved so quickly Kate was probably still processing everything that had happened. 

“You okay?” Sara asked carefully and got a small, cautious smile in return.

“I… no. Not really. My whole world’s shifting under me and I’m having to sprint just to keep up. But that’s okay, there’ll be time to figure it out later.”

“Mind a little advice?”

“Never.”

“Talk to Kara before you leave. You don’t need to talk about it all but whatever’s really important get it out there now. A shadow passed over Sara’s face and suddenly she seemed almost exhausted. “There’s always going to be things left unsaid but it’s far worse if you have the chance to say them and didn’t.”

Kate paused for a moment, reading Sara’s expression and wondering whether to ask what was bothering her. In the end she decided against it, whatever it was clearly wasn’t something Sara wanted to talk about. At least not right then and not to her. Instead she just nodded and gave the assassin another small smile. “Good advice, gratefully received. What’s it cost me?”

Sara threw her a wicked grin. “Well you could always tell me how it felt to have Lena Luthor in your head making you feel gooooooood.” She purred the last word and Kate blushed to her toes.

“How do you know about that?”

“Alex was a bit… ranty about the whole thing.”

“Oh.”

“Not in a bad way!” Sara clarified quickly. “Honestly I think she wanted to seduce you and Lena… umm… short circuited that if you’ll forgive the expression.”

“Wasn’t exactly how I saw my first night of freedom going.” Kate said. “Not that I’m complaining!” She added quickly at the knowing smirk on Sara’s face. “Very much not complaining. But… well, the first night….”

“Quite right…” Sara said, dragging the moment out a little. “It took Kara, oh, at least a couple of weeks.”

“Kara slept with Alex and Lena?”

“No.”

“Then what…” Kate threw a sharp look at the grinning blonde. “What did you do? Actually, no, I don’t want to know.”

“We… showed her a better distraction than alcohol or brooding.”

“Oh. Well that’s not too… wait, ‘we’? We who?”

“Ask Kara.” Sara suggested and laughed at the indignant panic on Kate’s face. “Maybe after you’ve talked to her about whatever you need to talk to her about though.”

“I… yeah, maybe.” Kate said, blushing again. “Talking of I should go find her or we won’t have time before dusk.”

“Alright. There’s a bike waiting for you by the way, think you’ll like her.”

“Awesome.” Kate grinned and paused as she headed for the door. “Thanks Sara. For everything.”

“Watch my back and we’ll call it even.”

“Deal.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey Kara, you got a minute?”

“Sure.” Kara looked up and did a double take. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”Kate protested but knew that wasn’t entirely true. “It’s just… look, can we get some privacy?”

“Of course, there’s a storeroom back here that’s not really used much.” Kara said, leading the way and trying to ignore the sudden churning in her stomach. Inside they found a few stacks of empty crates and sat down amongst the dust and debris of a previous time.

“Okay, look… “ Kate stumbled over her words, not entirely sure where to start. “I really do mean there’s nothing wrong. But there’s something I need to talk to you about and it’s going to sound like there is and this is a terrible time to do it but we’re both heading into danger and if something goes wrong I’d…”

“Woah, woah, breathe!” Kara said as it looked like Kate was going to keep talking until she collapsed. “If there’s something you need to say, say it. I promise I’ll understand.”

Kate tried to steady herself but couldn’t quite meet Kara’s gaze. “So… you’re an alien?”

“Oh.” Kara’s voice was suddenly very small. “Yeah, yeah I guess I am.”

“And my dad found you… saved you….”

“And got killed for it.” Kara said quietly. “And your life was destroyed too. I’m…”

“Don’t say it.” Kate broke in. “I… you don’t have to be sorry, Kara. It’s not your fault. You didn’t cause any of this and I know that. But there’s a part of me that’s blaming you for it anyway and I hate that.”

“What do you need? From me I mean.”

“I’m not sure. Maybe… maybe just a little space. Ever since dad was… was murdered I threw myself into tracking down his killer. Then I found out that his killer had been standing next to me the whole time while framing you so I went on the run. I guess I just haven’t had time to grieve yet and I’m really worried I’m going to do or say something stupid to hurt you.”

“Hey…” Kara reached over and took Kate’s hand. “I get it. I really do. If you need to blame me you can. And if you say something stupid… well I’m used to that.” She said it with a smile and heard a small half-chuckle, half-sob from Kate.

“You sure about that?” Kate said and now, finally, she looked up her eyes wet with tears. “How much of what we know about each other is real? For all we know we started living together a few months ago and everything else is fake. How could we tell?”

“Lena says…”

“Lena knows how the ridealongs used to work. Who’s to say Lex didn’t change them?” Kate shook her head. “And the truth is I’m almost hoping she’s wrong.”

“You… you hope we’re not… that we didn’t grow up as family?” Kara said and she was suddenly gulping back sobs.

“No! Not like that. That’s not what…” Kate shook her head angrily and reached out to cup Kara’s cheek. “I don’t know what I mean. Everything’s so messed up. But I do know I really am grateful you’ve been in my life and I really hope you still will be despite me accidentally ripping your heart out just then.”

Kara seemed to melt in relief and her smile could have warmed the world. “I am, for as long as you want me.”

“Thank you…” Kate whispered the words, her eyes closing in grateful acceptance. “Told you I’d say something stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” Kara said with certainty. “You might not be able to put it into words yet but something’s bothering you beyond… beyond dad’s death. Take whatever space you need but just… just don’t forget I’m here if I can help, okay?”

“Okay. Actually… there is one thing…”

“What?”

“Hug?” Now it was Kate’s voice that sounded lost and small and Kara almost laughed with relief as she pulled her into an embrace. To her surprise Kate’s arms didn’t wrap around her but came up instead, her hands curling around Kara’s shoulders as if she was clinging on to the blonde. It felt oddly intimate but Kara did her best to stay quiet and supportive, leaving the lead to Kate.

“Thanks Kara.” Kate whispered after almost ten minutes had passed. “We’ll be okay.”

“Always.” Kara said bringing a hand up to rub Kate’s back between her shoulder blades. “Just take care of yourself out there.”

“I will.” Kate promised. “No way I’m leaving this as our last conversation.”

Kara laughed and nodded. “Alright, deal. Listen to Sara, she knows what she’s doing. And keep your head down!”

“Hey, which of us has combat training again?”

“Get back to me when you’ve ridden on top of a speeding truck.”

“I… wait, what?”

“See, now you’ve got another reason to come back in one piece. You don’t want me telling you that story while you’re stuck in a medical tube unable to escape.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Would.”

Kate chuckled and finally let go of Kara. “Alright, fine, you win. We’ll swap war stories in the bar after instead.”

“Sounds good. Come on, we’d better get moving.”

Once more the world spun around Oliver, Kara and Kate but this time it had an odd double-vision to it. They saw the two small convoys set out on their separate routes, saw them arrive in their respective safe houses and start their final planning. Kara couldn’t help but be impressed at how easily this version of Kate seemed to slot into the planning stage, her expertise obvious despite the trauma of the last few weeks. Kate, in turn, was still fascinated at the keen but almost naive enthusiasm of the younger Kara as she treated a potential life and death situation as a game.

“So were you ever like this in our world?” Kate asked quietly.

“Umm, well…”

“Yes.” Oliver said bluntly.

“Hey!” Kara protested but Kate was too fast for her.

“Do tell!”

“First time she came to Earth 1 she was practically giddy from meeting everyone and showing how easily she could overpower us.”

“Oh *really*?” Kate said with a wicked grin.

“It wasn’t like that!” Kara protested. “Besides it was YOUR idea to use me as training.”

“You didn’t even move.”

“You wanted them to get the real experience! Don’t hold back, I believe that’s what you said.”

“Then there was fight club…”

“FIGHT CLUB?!?” Kate could barely contain herself. “What the hell is Fight Club and why am I only just now finding out about it?”

“Don’t get excited, it was a team up training thing. Not even sure why they called it fight club.” Kara muttered still sulking from Oliver managing to score a point on her.

“It wasn’t always team up training.” Oliver corrected casually.

Kate looked from one to the other as understanding dawned. “By any chance did it change right about the time you invited Kara?”

“…. maybe.” Oliver allowed.

“Woah woah woah, you mean….” Kara looked downright indignant but Kate cut her off again.

“What he means is they realised you’d kick their asses and decided to avoid a beating. You should probably be slightly smug about that.”

“But I let you kidnap me!”

“Wait, you what?!?” Kate said with an incredulous look.

“Oh, uh…. nothing.”

“No no, not nothing, what do you mean kidnap?”

“Umm… I may have let them…. Put a bag over my head, drag me through a portal and chain me to a chair.”

Kate turned to Ollie in stunned disbelief. “You put… a bag… over her head? WHY?”

“It… seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus Barry hadn’t mentioned the x-ray vision thing.”

“Oh. Well that makes sense.” Kate allowed before adding with a wicked grin: “And I’m sure my darling wife enjoyed the bondage.”

Kara blushed scarlet and tried to stammer a denial but the knowing smirk was proof positive she wasn’t going to win that argument. “It wasn’t bad…” Kara muttered, shuffling her feet on the spot.

“Well the good news is you’ve got me now so anytime you want to be chained to a chair just ask.” Kate said and the look she gave Kara missed smouldering and went straight to blazing forest fire. “I’m just pissed off I didn’t get to go to this fight club thing.”

“Why?” Kara asked, genuinely mystified. 

“Oh come on, the chance to punch Barry in the face? Money can’t buy that and trust me I’ve tried.”

“Hey, be nice!”

“I am… I said face not somewhere lower down.” Kate shrugged at Kara’s horrified expression. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy but he’s infuriating at times.”

“He’s not that bad…” Kara said but she couldn’t really argue the point so changed the topic instead. “Uh, Ollie, shouldn’t we be getting on with things?”

“If you’re done.” Oliver said and they saw the ghost of a smile flash across his hooded face. He raised a hand and they were suddenly standing in front of a large metal door set into the side of a mountain. In front of it Kara, Diana and Lena were approaching carefully, eyes scanning the landscape for traps as they prepared to enter Cadmus…


	6. Chapter 6

“So do you want me to punch through or…” Kara asked, pulling her arm back and cocking a fist.

“And blow our cover, lose any surprise we may have and get us killed? No thanks.” Lena said crouching down just to the right of the door and flicking open a panel disguised to look like the mountain. She fished a sleek silver slab from a pouch on her belt and tapped it to the panel then ran her fingers over the smooth surface. 

“Kara Kane, meet subtlety. I understand this may be a new experience for you.” Lena said with an audible smirk. 

“Hey, I…” Kara started to protest when there was a faint click and the door started to swing open on silent runners.

“Just as effective as punching.” Lena said, slipping her gear back into its home. “Remember, if they’re expecting a punch slice them to the bone instead. Don’t let them sucker you in. Bleed them dry. Kill them by your rules.” Lena stepped inside the portal and Kara sent a shocked look at Diana who shrugged.

“She has a point.” The Amazonian said as they followed the genius into the mythical home of nightmares. Inside the corridor stretched ahead of them seemingly empty but Lena was eying it critically.

“Problem?” Diana asked and Lena pointed to a network of small holes scattered throughout the towering metal walls. 

“Ah… any ideas?” 

“We need to find a security panel. I should be able to shut down the whole system and get an idea of what’s going on here…” Lena looked around then up at the ceiling twenty foot above them. “Hmm. Now that might work.”

“What might work?” Kara asked following Lena’s eyes. “That vent?”

“Give me a lift?”

“Uh, sure…” Kara said nervously. She offered her arms to Lena who climbed aboard as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Kara kicked off the ground and floated her way up to the vent until Lena could reach out and trip the override. It swung open and Lena scrambled up, using Kara’s shoulder as a platform. 

“Alright, give me two minutes… this seems to go past the door at the far end, hopefully I can at least get you in without tripping an alarm.”

Kara dropped back down to Diana’s side and an awkward silence descended.

“Uh…. Do you think I should go with her?” Kara asked after a minute had passed.

“We’ll know if she needs us.”

“Oh.”

“Patience Kara. Trust your sisters.”

“I do!” Kara said a little too quickly then blushed.

“Problems with Kate?” Diana asked casually. 

“No! Well… no, not really. I don’t think. It’s….”

“Complicated.” Diana said but the word was kind and, more importantly, not a question. “It always is between family Kara.”

“I know. But…” Before she could say anything more the door in front of them swung open and Lena waved them through. 

“So fun fact: Cadmus is deserted.” Lena said as they joined her. “Automated systems are working and there’s one hell of a Gardner force in storage but no humans.”

“What? Why would Lex…” Kara trailed off, not able to figure out an answer. Lena seemed to be someway ahead of her though and snorted.

“Because Lex doesn’t trust anyone. If he emptied out a facility like this but is still maintaining it then it’s a good bet there’s something important here. And I’m pretty sure it’s right there.” She pointed at a schematic on the screen of her tablet.

“Why?” Diana asked, inspecting the drawing.

“Because there’s a completely separate security system there I can’t bypass.” 

“Alarms?”

“Yes. And they’re likely to trigger the Gardners.”

“Hmm.” Diana paused for a moment, considering her options. “Are there any other targets here that you can see?”

“A couple of possibilities but they don’t… feel right. Might be honeytraps. Whatever it is this is what we’re here for.”

“Very well. Kara, can you protect Lena?”

“From Gardners? Sure.”

“From everything.”

“Uh, yes. Yes I can do that.” Kara said and was surprised to see a small, encouraging smile from Lena. 

“I trust you Kara. Let’s go Diana.”

Diana led them down a side corridor to an elevator shaft. With Kara bringing up the rear in case of ambush Diana prised the doors open with her bare hands and checked the shaft.

“Looks like the car’s right at the bottom. How far down are we going?”

“Ten floors.” Lena said, joining Diana to peer over the edge. “There, that one with a red mark around the doorway, see it?”

“I see it.” Diana said and jumped into the pit. She fell with pinpoint accuracy, reaching out to grab the cable and sliding to a stop with her feet hanging over empty air. She swung forward and kicked at the metal door though to her surprise she had to give it three shots before it buckled inwards. The moment it did a low-pitched alarm started to sound and a series of gun turrets unfolded from the sides of the shaft.

“Kara, be careful!” Diana called up as she entered the corridor. 

“No problem.” The reply was still nervous and Diana glanced back to see Kara dropping faster than simply falling, spinning to dodge the bullets and making sure she kept Lena tucked safely in her arms as she did so. They half-fell into the corridor and Kara looked a little embarrassed as she picked herself off the floor.

“Sorry about that.”

“They missed, don’t apologise.” Lena said, looking at the newly-revealed corridor. “There, that should be the security station up ahead!” 

Diana marched forward, her shield at the ready only to be thrown sideways by an unexpected blast that knocked what had seemed to be a normal office door into her at speed. She grunted and threw it back, knocking out the laser cannon that had hidden behind it. She beckoned the others forward and they moved as one, Kara on alert for any more traps and making sure she was between Lena and danger.

They made it to the security terminal before the next barrage sailed in from the end of the corridor. Diana caught the first blast on her shield but there were at least a dozen guns facing them and her shield wasn’t particularly large.

“Swap!” Kara called and Diana fell back, moving to protect Lena as Kara took point. She thought for a moment of trying to fry the guns with her eye beams but decided against it. She still wasn’t sure how well she could control them and a hundred feet underground with a mountain overhead didn’t seem like the best time to find out. Instead she turned and presented her back, using her body to block the beams and let Lena work.

“Ah hell…” Lena growled, her fingers flying over the pad. “This system is completely off the grid, the security is ancient and none of my back doors are going to work.”

“So what next?” Diana asked.

“I need about five minutes to work my way around the physical security.” Lena said. “But there might be other layers that…” She was cut off by a fist flying over her head and the huge metal security door flying into the room beyond.

“Done.” Kara said with a slightly smug tone. “Sometimes punching works.”

“Sometimes.” Lena agreed and favoured Kara with another small smile.

“You’re going to want to see this.” Diana said from the cavernous room and there was something resembling awe in her voice. She was standing by a catwalk and from the pit in front of her a bright blue light was shining upwards to illuminate a wall unlike any Kara had seen. It was made up of dozens, maybe hundreds, of silver boxes, their fronts a frosted-over glass and vapour swirling around their super-cooled frames. A silver band ran over the middle of each box and on each band was a name.

“Ives. Sivana. Palmer. Holt. Morrow.” Diana read from the ones directly in front of her. “What *is* this place?”

“Lex never did like competition.” Lena said sadly, looking down into the pit and the row upon row of boxes. “It’s a computer. A neural network of ridealongs inside cryogenically frozen geniuses. The smartest people in the world turned into microchips in Lexs’ think tank.”

“Can we help them?” Kara asked quietly.

“No. Not right now anyway. Maybe once Lex is gone but it’d take months if not years to bring them out safely.” Lena said turning to walk over to the only access terminal in the room. She started working the keyboard, flicking through record files. “But this isn’t what the security is protecting…”

“Then what is this all for?” Diana asked, glancing back at the door. She knew that the Gardners would be coming and couldn’t be far away. In truth she’d thought they might be here by now. 

“There!” Lena gestured at the screen and a small cube started flashing on the screen. “At the bottom of the computer there’s another room.”

“How do we get there?”

“Looks like… take the lift down another three floors.”

“I don’t think that’s an option.” Diana warned as she heard the familiar clank of metal on metal from the corridor outside.

“Well…” Lena looked over at Kara who nodded and wrapped her arms around both of the other women in what looked like a slightly uncomfortable hug. Concentrating she flew up just enough to clear the rail and then dropped down out of sight just as the first Gardners entered the room. She went as quickly as she dared and a few seconds later they were another five floors deep in the bowels of Cadmus standing on a narrow catwalk facing another locked door. The thin sliver of metal ran across another fifteen foot drop into the mass of equipment running the biological computer. It’s far end was a small access door that would at least mean any Gardners would have to come through single file.

“Want me to open it?” Kara asked the imposing door in front of them.

“No, I got the key from the computer upstairs.” Lena replied, waving a card she’d quickly reprogrammed over the lock. There was a click and the door slid soundlessly to one side.

“Oh.” Kara sounded disappointed but followed the other two inside only to stop dead. She’d expected the bank of screens and the mass of cables. She’d even been prepared for some deadly trap. What she hadn’t planned on was seeing a middle-aged man in a metal suit strapped to a hospital bed entombed in the middle of a web of cables.

“Why are you here…” The voice was tired, cracked, as if it hadn’t been used in a long, long time.

“To find what Lex is hiding.” Diana said, positioning herself between Lena and the speaker, Kara matching her to cover any fire from the doorway. 

“Congratulations, you’ve found it.” On closer inspection Diana realised the man wasn’t wearing armour as she’d first thought. The metal was fused into him, missing components in the right arm leaving a metal skeleton and hints of disturbing organic elements. Around his throat the metal slid under his skin and the left side of his face was almost completely covered by a smooth metal plate. His left eye glowed red and only his cheek and mouth were uncovered on that side.

“What’s your name?” Diana asked kindly but the cyborg shook his head. 

“You’re not here for me. You’re here for the thing inside me. You really want to know my name?”

Diana took a step back in horror as his tone left no doubt as to what he meant. 

‘Thought not.” The man grunted and shifted slightly on the bed as if trying to get comfortable. “For what it’s worth, whatever you do with this thing, you’ll be doing me a favour.”

His chest whirred and a plate slid aside to reveal something glowing within him. “They’ve only kept me alive to link it to this computer. They couldn’t even be bothered to replace parts when they wore out, just cut them away and left me to rot. There’s not much left of me anyway. But remove the box, my automatic systems stop dead. No more me.”

“You’re saying we’re about to kill you…” Lena said quietly, walking around Diana though she made sure she could still dive behind the Amazon if need be.

“No. I’m saying saving me isn’t an option. Just… make it fast.”

Lena reached out slowly but Diana took her wrist. “No. I’ll do it.” She turned to the man and placed both hands around the glowing box. “Ready?”

“Ever since that bastard put this thing in my chest.” He grunted and looked up at her sadly. “You fight in the war? I was just another grunt after the burn… when we were all just fighting over the scraps of what was left. Lost half my body to some forgotten land mine. Woke up to Lex Luthor - of all people - telling me this body was my destiny.”

He smiled and his eyes went soft as if he were suddenly a long, long way away. “There’s a whole multiverse out there. Do you know that? I can hear it singing through the pain. Worlds so green you couldn’t imagine. Worlds so dark you can’t see. Paradises… worlds without pain or disease or war. Maybe… maybe somewhere out there is a me that’s free.”

“Wait.” Lena said, coming around Diana again to rest her hand on the box. “I want to know your name. Please.”

“It’s Vic. Vic Stone.”

Lena nodded and to everyone’s surprise lent up and kissed him gently on what remained of his human forehead. “I won’t let Lex forget it.” She promised. 

There was a blinding flash of light as Lena and Diana pulled the box free from its home and unseen above them alongside the Spectre and her wife Kara watched unblinking as Vic Stone died. She saw him pass peacefully and thought, just for a moment, he focused on the three of them with a mix of surprise and joy. She decided there and then that for as long as she lived she’d believe he’d seen them, seen the multiverse singing to him one last time even as the pain fled forever. She reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek and froze as Kate grabbed her shoulder.

“Kara.. look….”

“No…”

Oliver was staring at the two of them in confusion, the matching expressions of horror enough to give even the Spectre cause for concern. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s… that’s a motherbox.” Kate whispered. “What the hell is that doing on Earth?”

Below them there was a moment of silence then Diana reached over and closed Vic’s one remaining eye before gathering up the other two.

“Come on, we’ve done what we can here.” She said, passing the cube over to Lena who slid it into a pack slung across her body. “And out time’s almost up.”

“Uh, actually… I don’t think you needed the almost!” Kara said with alarm, looking out of the door. “Every Gardner ever is at the end of the walkway!”

Bolts of energy started to sizzle through the air as Kara reached back into the room. Lena squeaked in surprise as Diana grabbed her and dove at Kara, pressing Lena up against Kara’s chest. The Kryptonian slid her arms around them both even as Diana did the same around the slim blonde then they were hurtling upwards, racing up the face of the organic computer with Kara absorbing shot after shot seemingly without noticing.

They clattered over the railing and landed, more or less, on their feet. Diana didn’t hesitate, scooping Lena into her arms and racing full speed for the exit, Kara close behind. From the pit they could hear clanking noises as the Gardners chose to climb up their fellows to reach the top faster than they could have travelled back through the corridors. 

The corridor lasers opened up and Diana grunted in pain as they slammed into her back. “Kara, take them out!” She ordered and the Kryptonian didn’t hesitate. Once again the imminent danger to those she cared about seemed to focus her and she skidded into the middle of the corridor, turned and let her own power come burning to the surface. Her eyes lit up red and with an accuracy that surprised her she vaporised each turret one after the other. It took maybe ten seconds as she diverted her attention several times to reach up and put a hand between a laser blast and the fleeing pair she was responsible for protecting. 

With the last turret reduced to rubble she turned and ran only to find the metal corridor blurring as she moved faster than she’d ever dreamed possible. Before her Diana was sprinting in slow motion and Kara had to stifle a giggle at how ridiculous it looked. She set herself and aimed carefully, Diana seeming to slow down to the point of being frozen though in reality it was Kara herself moving faster.

For the first time in years Diana found herself taken completely by surprise. One moment she was running along the corridor the next everything changed. Well… no, not everything, she corrected herself. Lena was still nestled snuggly in her arms, tucked in to use Diana’s more robust physiology as a shield but to Diana’s astonishment she found herself mirroring that position in Kara’s arms! They were flying up the elevator shaft and Kara had a focused determination that reminded Diana of her sisters long since lost to the cataclysm. 

They landed in the exit corridor and Kara put her precious cargo down in case she needed to suddenly react to a threat. They made it about halfway to the exit when there was an ominous rumble from behind them.

“That can’t be good…” Kara muttered.

“It’s not!” Lena called and both Kara and Diana followed her pointed finger back to the end of the corridor. The entire wall had split in half and was opening up to reveal a pitch black space behind. That void was where the rumbling was coming from and from somewhere close to the ceiling two red slits lit up. For a moment it looked like the darkness was moving towards them then it came far enough forward for the corridor lights to catch it. 

“Hera…” Diana whispered under her breath as she took in the massive machine rolling towards them. An enormous slab of black metal the red ‘eyes’ were embedded just below the top as rows of weaponry glinted down its sides and across its body. The slab was mounted on a base that seemed to be all armour, engine and four huge sets of tank treads, two either side. 

“Run!” Diana called and they raced for the exit even as the monster started to pick up speed. 

“This isn’t going to work!” Kara called across, wondering if she should grab them again. A red bolt scorched the ground between her and Diana, instantly answering the question. The heat boiling off the impact was enough for even Kara to notice so a normal human like Lena would need considerably more protection than Kara’s body between her and the blast if they were hit. 

“Take her and go!” Diana yelled but Kara shook her head. 

“No, give me your sword! Don’t argue, there’s no time!”

For a moment Diana hesitated then reached over her shoulder, ripped the sword from its sheath and threw it into Kara’s waiting hand. Diana had expected the Kryptonian to turn and stand her ground so was surprised when she suddenly darted towards the nearest wall. She bounded upwards, her feet smacking into the metal so hard they left a dent. Her legs bent, tucking in as she gathered herself then she was hurtling back down the corridor like a bullet from a gun. The sword was held out in front of her and her aim was good, driving the point into the right ‘eye’ up to the hilt.

There was an electronic scream from the beast but Kara was far from done. She still had her hands wrapped around the pommel and with a grunt of effort started dragging it through the upper portion of the robot. Her feet were planted against the metal and almost without thinking about it she was ‘flying’ to keep herself hanging at right angles to the floor far below. Sparks flew and explosions danced up behind her as the blade bit deep. When she reached the other ‘eye’ she turned and followed her own cut back until she was in the middle of the thing’s body then with a vicious cry turned and raced upwards, dragging the sword through the metal with irresistible force. 

She burst out the top and a fountain of flame followed her, the sword trailing cables and metal as she tumbled to land, somewhat shakily, in front of the monster. She glanced back and made sure that Diana and Lena were clear of the entrance then let her heat vision explode once more. She aimed for the freshly created ruin where it’s ‘face’ had been and this time she didn’t hold back. The corridor lit up a brilliant blue and the metal body rippled as power cells and weapons clusters exploded under the onslaught. 

With a final whiplash crack of noise the entire thing blew up into a spectacular fireball. Kara instantly turned on her heel and ran for the exit as fast as she could, watching in horror as the flames licked past her. They flowed like water across the walls but even as they overtook her they were slowing down. In another heart beat they were frozen in place and Kara found herself fascinated by their odd beauty, the barely perceptible movement as she outpaced the roaring flames.

For Diana and Lena the experience was rather different. They heard the explosion and looked back to see a twenty foot tall tongue of flame burst from the tunnel, scorching the Freescape and sending the smoking figure of Kara Kane bursting out of the middle of it to tumble across the desert floor. The two women looked at each other in shock for a second then raced to help.

“Kara! Are you alright?” Diana said as they skidded to a stop by the coughing blonde.

“Yeah… yeah I’m… oh that sucks…” Kara couldn’t hold back another coughing fit and it took almost thirty seconds to catch her breath. “Here, this is yours.” She passed the sword back and Diana pretended not to notice the young woman was holding the absurdly sharp weapon by the blade.

“You know you’ve got something in common with your sister.” Lena said almost casually, having checked the entrance to make sure nothing was following them out any time soon.

“Huh? What?” Kara asked confused.

“You’re both smoking hot.” Lena said with a nervous smile and hopeful look in her eyes.

Kara stared in disbelief for a moment before bursting into giggles. “Did… did you just make a joke?” She said between the laughter and smiled hugely when Lena nodded in embarrassment. “It’s a good look on you.” Kara said gently. “Also thank you. Also also we should probably get moving before anything else happens!”

They jogged the half a mile or so back to where they’d stashed the bikes and fired up the engines. Lena led the way as her bike was equipped with night vision in the front faring leaving Diana and Kara riding a little way behind her.

“You have a talent for bringing people out of their shells young one.” Diana said quietly, making sure her voice wouldn’t carry to Lena.

“I guess…”

“And you’re brave.”

“Thanks I…”

“Though unbelievably reckless!”

“Oh.”

Diana sighed and looked over at the abashed figure riding beside her. “Believe me, I know what it’s like to feel….. to feel as if nothing on Earth can stop you. And I’m not saying to ignore that, it can be a source of strength in its own right. Just…. Just be ready for the day when it may not be true.”

“I am.” Kara said softly. “Kinda expect it every day. But it’s not going to keep me from doing what’s right.”

Diana smiled and Kara felt like she was filling up with light. “Then the era of Lex might well be drawing to an end.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Remind me how this was supposed to be easy?” Alex called as she stabbed a knife into the neck of a Gardner.

“Not the time!” Sara snapped back, spraying an entire clip from a miniature submachine gun down the corridor and adding another layer of broken metal to the army of Garnders that had already fallen. “Running out of time here Kate…”

“Going as fast as I can.” Kate’s voice was a surprising ocean of calm in the madness as her hands flew across three separate workstations, each with a separate search program running. While the threat of instant death was new the actual work was pretty much identical to what she’d been taught to do by Bruce. Her body was moving almost on instinct leaving her mind free to scan through the images flashing past on the screens. 

“Running low!” Frost called, a carbine tucked into her shoulder as she tried to make every last shot count. “How many of these things does Lex have!”

“Too many.” Alex said grimly. “Kate…”

“I know, I know, hurrying.” Kate muttered as two of the three systems gave a small chime almost simultaneously. The one on the right had been looking for data on what had caused the Bat to be on the shelf, the one on the left anything that might involve Kara and both were now downloading the results to her data stick. Which just left the centre one and she could afford to bring her full attention to…

“Oh god.” Sara’s head snapped round at the horror in Kate’s voice. She gestured to the corridor and Alex took her place, grimacing as she touched the two remaining clips on her belt that made up her total ammunition supply. 

“What is it?” Sara said sprinting up to the dais and putting a hand on Kate’s shoulder. She’d intended it to be a comforting gesture but was shocked to feel the younger woman shaking with anger and revulsion. 

“Look.” Kate pointed at the screen and Sara suddenly understood her reaction. It looked like an old fashioned hospital ward with rows of beds stretching as far as the camera could see. On each was a person, strapped down and with wires running to their ridealongs. There didn’t seem to be any common element between the people. All shapes, sizes, colours and sexes seemed to be represented at random. No, Sara corrected herself, there was one thing they all had in common.

They were screaming.

“What the fuck is this?” Sara spat and Kate’s hands were already flying over the keys. 

“Project name is… Rehabilitation.” She felt something ice cold slide into the pit of her stomach but forced herself to read through. “Looks like… permanent reprogramming to remove criminal tendencies. But these ridealong patterns…” She flicked through a couple of screens, making sure she was right. “Sara these aren’t corrective. They’re templates, complete overwrites of the original mind.”

“Which means what?” Sara demanded, conscious of the ever-dwindling time before they either moved or were killed where they stood.

“Lex is building himself loyal citizens. Truly loyal, the concept of freedom will never occur to any of them! And he’s using anyone he can vanish without arousing too much suspicion.” She stoped tapping suddenly, looking up at the blonde as the remaining colour drained from her cheeks. “Sara… it’s irreversible.”

The colour drained from Sara’s face as she stared at the younger woman. “You’re sure?”

“They overwrite the original mind. There’s no backup made, no way to restore it. Once it starts… whoever they were is gone.”

Sara swore again and looked at the screen for a long moment before coming to a decision. 

“Can you… how much of the building can you control?”

“Enough.” Kate said grimly. “I’ve got a tap into the power plant, this particular design is vulnerable to a resonance cascade failure and I can trigger that from here.”

“How big?”

“It’ll level the place.”

“Alright… set it for five minutes.” Sara said and watched as Kate’s fingers flew over the keys. “No, wait…” She reached over and rested a hand just to the right of the keyboard. “Let me.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. My decision so I should be the one to do it.”

“Hit the return key.” Kate said putting a hand up on Sara’s shoulder. To her surprise there wasn’t a moment of hesitation as the blonde stabbed down on the button and a timer popped up on the screen.

“We’re moving!” Sara shouted and watched Alex and Frost gratefully jump over the first row of desks in the tiered control centre. They both reached to their belts, pulled a grenade and threw it into their respective corridors. Two muted crumps echoed through the room followed by the sound of falling metal as the structure collapsed. 

“Alright, come on!” Sara said as they raced up to join her. “Now we’ve blocked those off the Gardners will be working their way around to this one.” She threw a thumb over her shoulder at the open corridor stretching away from the back of the room just behind the main command desk. “We’ve got four minute and… forty three seconds to get the hell out of here.”

“What? Why!?!” Alex demanded.

“Because it’s going to blow up.” Kate said snagging the data stick and standing up. “We really don’t want to be here when it does.

“Run now, explain later.” Sara said and shoved Alex towards the door. The four took off, racing down the featureless corridor propelled by a healthy mix of adrenaline and fear. Sara kept glancing left and right, trying to make sure she hadn’t missed a secret hatch or access point that a Gardner could pop through but no, it just seemed to be a long, straight corridor. They burst out the far end into the security lobby and Kate glanced at a wrist-mounted display.

“Two minutes!” 

“Great….” Frost grumbled as she panted for breath. “This better be WATCH OUT!” She let fly a barrage of gunfire to a side corridor on their left and three Gardners fell just before they could fire. They were just the first wave though and behind them silver shapes moved in a wave so thick they blocked the entire corridor. The four women dove for cover behind the huge security desk with Sara, Alex and Frost all picking their shots with care determined not to waste a single bullet.

“What now?” Alex demanded. “No way we clear them all in time and they’re going to cut us down if we run for the exit.”

“Kate, any ideas?” Sara snapped without much hope but, once again, found herself surprised.

“One but it’s really really bad.”

“Is it better than exploding?”

“Uh, maybe?”

“Good enough!”

“Okay, follow me!” Kate scrambled on all fours to a wall panel and kicked it open with a single blow. Behind it was a dimly lit crawlspace just big enough for a grown woman to run down if they bent double. 

“Well we’re away from the guns at least but how do we get out of here?” Sara asked as they sprinted along as fast as they could in the uncomfortable crouch forced on them by the tunnel.

“There’s a loading dock at the end of this maintenance tunnel. Standard distribution for Lex R&D labs.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a downside to this?”

“Deliveries are usually a little… airborne.” Kate said as they tumbled out into a room about four metres on a side. Around the edge were stacks of crates and a couple of robot drones used to move items through the maintenance tunnels.

“Stand back!” Kate ordered and tapped a code into a wall-mounted panel. The floor cracked and swung open revealing a drop to the desert floor far below that had to be at least a couple of hundred feet.

“What now?” Alex said and to Sara’s surprise the question was quiet, trusting. 

“Uh… here, here help me break this open!” Kate said and Alex tore apart a crate at the front of the stack. Several metal discs fell out and Kate had to move quickly to stop one falling through the open hatch. Alex recognised them instantly as the personal flying transport for the Gardners.

“Wait, don’t those need to be within the Garden to work?” Sara said nervously as Kate passed one to each of her companions.

“No. They’ve got emergency charge for about thirty seconds.” Kate said tucking her under her arm and taking a deep breath. “Which is about how long we’ve got left! Hug it and jump out! Don’t trigger the flight circuit too early, wait until you can see a bit of detail in the sand. That should be high enough to work without running out of power!”

“But…” Frost looked terrified and Sara grabbed her arm. 

“No time! Go!” She bodily threw the taller woman out of the hatch and jumped out straight after her. She glanced back and saw Alex and Kate fall together but that was the only moment she had to worry about anything but herself. A rumble shook the world and the structure perched high up on a rocky spire seemed to shiver before slowly collapsing in on itself, flame and debris bursting out from a dozen spots. 

Sara focused on the ground below, trying to judge the fall. Not yet… not yet…. 

“NOW!” She yelled and saw Frost jab the control panel. Instantly her disc switched on ad she slowed, going straight past Sara before the assassin triggered her own disc and felt it push back against the headlong fall. The ground was racing up to meet them but she was counting under her breath. She only made it to nineteen before she thudded into the sand with a bone-clattering impact. She let go of the disc and rolled, trying to let her tumble absorb some of the force and coming to rest on her back slightly sunk into a sand dune. 

It took a few seconds to suck air into her lungs then she looked back up the slope. To her relief she saw all three of her GCG sisters slowly getting to their feet though none looked to be in great shape. She did the same and forced herself to climb up to stand by Kate.

“Great work.” Sara said warmly and Kate blushed, actually blushed, at the compliment. “We’d have been dead for sure without you.”

“Thanks.” Kate muttered wondering how she was still standing on the ground when the compliment had her feel she should be flying like Kara. Her entire life she’d been taught her role was to work for the glory of Lex. This was, in truth, the first time she’d done something for others, for a purpose beyond her own interests or that of tyrants and the genuine warmth had her moved almost to tears. 

“Uh, not to spoil the moment but we can’t stay here.” Alex pointed out. “Not only are Garden forces almost certainly on the way here but that place is going to start vomiting debris down here in a minute.”

“Good point, let’s go.” Sara said, leading the way down the hill and across the desert floor to the small cave where they’d left the bikes. They didn’t talk again until they were all in the saddle and putting as much distance as possible between them and the lab that had almost claimed their lives.

Sara pulled in close to Kate and spoke quietly. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Kate said with a wince. “I shouldn’t be but I am. Guess the Bat’s training doesn’t leave much room for compassion.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Sara said. “You… we…. did the right thing.”

“I hope so. Uh, talking of which… thanks for being the one to press the button.”

Sara shrugged and smiled sadly. “I’m an assassin. A little more red in my ledger doesn’t make much difference at this point.”

They rode in silence for a while then Sara said: “Do you think you got anything? On Kara? On what hurt the Bat?”

Kate paused before replying, organising her thoughts as best she could. “I think so. Both searches dumped a decent chunk of data, hopefully they’ll be something in there. But even if there’s not we got the important part.”

“Project Rehabilitation?” Sara said grimly.

“Yeah. If Lex is willing to do that… how long until he stops being subtle?”

Sara nodded and stared at the band of light starting to brighten the eastern sky. “Yeah. The clock’s ticking…”

**Author's Note:**

> So this one went a different way to what I'd expected as the fingers hit the keyboard... Originally this was going to be a three part story but it felt right to extend out to four. Gives a bit more headroom for the final part and let some of the moments here breathe. Plus I could put the fight club bit in which has been in my head since the moment I saw the Fight Club 2.0 promo in the Before Times.
> 
> Talking of which: everyone doing okay out there? Hope you're all keeping well and for those facing (or in the middle of) looming lockdowns many sympathies and try to remember it won't last forever. 
> 
> And finally a quick heads up on plans for this series of stories. There's another two big crossovers lined up in my brain and I'll keep trying to deliver one a week to fill the gap while the poor CW cast and crews have the world's longest swab stuck up their collective noses on a daily basis. *However* there's also a rather silly idea for, well, pure filth if I'm being honest that may get dropped in after GCG is finished. It still fits in the story arc but... how to put this... oh, you know how some series do an occasional episode where the regular cast are absent owing to filming other stuff (or desperately catching up on sleep)? Same thing. Just more HBO than CW ;-)


End file.
